Sunday, 17 July 2011

My top 10 Yankees of all time

One week ago,Derek Jeter made history by becoming just the 28th player to hit 3000 hits in his career and the first New York Yankee to do so. Based on that impressive accomplishment here are my top 10 greatest players to have ever played for the New York Yankees.

1) Babe Ruth: Ranked number 1 on The Sporting News "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players", he turned out to become one of the league's most prolific hitters after being converted from a starting pitcher to a rightfielder hitting 714 homeruns which were the most until Hank Aaron surpassed him in 1974. Apart from that, he was part of 7 Yankee pennant teams and 4 World Series titles.
2) Joe Dimaggio: In his 13 year career, The Yankee Clipper was 13 time all star and a 3 time MVP winner along with being part of 9 World Series winners. What he did that was remarkable was his 56 game hit streak which is the record and it still stands today.
3) Lou Gehrig: Before his career was cut short due to ALS which is now known as Lou Gehrig's disease, he was known for his hitting prowess by hitting 23 Grand Slams and 1995 RBI's which is the most among first baseman, but he was best known for his durability playing in 2130 consecutive games which was eventually broken by Cal Ripken Jr in 1995.
4) Mickey Mantle: An 18 year career entirely in pinstrips, he played in 12 World Series winning 7 of them. Apart from being American League MVP 3 times and playing in 16 All-Star games, he still holds the records for most World Series home runs with 18, RBI's with 40, runs (42),walks (43), extra base hits with 26 and total bases with (123). As well he is the career leader in walk-off home runs with 13 combined (12 regular season, 1 postseason)
5) Yogi Berra: Regarded as the greatest catcher in MLB history, he appeared in 14 World Series winning 10 of them. He even established records in the World Series by playing in 75 games, 259 at-bats, 71, hits, 10 doubles, 49 singles and 457 catcher putouts. What also made him remarkable was his Yogiisms such as "It ain't over till its over" and "You can observe a lot by watching".
6) Reggie Jackson: In the five seasons that he played in pinstripes, he earned the nickname "Mr.October" for his clutch hitting noticibly in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series when he hit three home runs en route to 8-4 victory and clinch the World Series.
7) Thurman Munson: He was a perennial all-star, he become the first and only Yankee to win both the Rookie of the Year and the MVP awards. He became the first Yankee captain since Lou Gehrig and was considered the heart and soul of the franchise. He led them to three consecutive World Series winning two of them. Unfortunately, he passed away at the age of 32 after practicising how to land his Cessna Citation at his hometown airport at Akron-Canton airport.
8) Don Mattingly: Donnie Baseball spent his entire 14 year career with the Bronx Bombers playing 1785 games, with 2153 hits, 222 hits and 1099 hits. Known as a captain who led by example, the only major accomplishment that eluded him was winning the World Series.
9) Derek Jeter: Apart from being the first Yankee to hit 3000 hits, he is the all-time Yankee hit leader. He is also remembered for his clutch play such as in 2001 when his defensive play vs the Oakland Athletics in the ALDS when he came out of nowhere to grab the errant throw to throw out Jeremy Giambi at home. In that same year, he became known as "Mr.November" after hitting the first home run in the month which was a walkoff in Game 4 as the Yankees tied the series at 2 games a piece vs the Diamondbacks. In his tenure with the Bronx Bombers, they have won
10) Mariano Rivera: Known for one deceptive cut fastball pitch, he is a 12 time all-star and 5 time World Champion, he ranks first all time in games finished with 859 and second all time in saves with 582 trailing only Trevor Hoffman. These numbers rank him among the greatest closers to ever pitch in baseball history.